Lymphoma - and I was doing so good.

[scared88]

Sigh....I'm back. I was doing so well about not worrying about my lymph nodes. Since many here don't know what my issue is I'll tell it yet again.
I'm 28 years old and have had permanently swollen lymph nodes in my armpits and groin for 10 years now, since 2007. I have been worried about it being a certain type of slow growing lymphoma since 2011 called follicular lymphoma which is more often found in older people.

Like I said I've been good lately since I've managed to tell myself, it's been 10 years and something drastic would have happened by now. The "spleen pain" I worry about would be getting worse and so on and so forth. But today I saw, completely by accident and totally on random, a post about a local young man only a bit older than myself (~10 years tops) who had been diagnosed with that very form of cancer and that it had probably been there for few years. Now I'm doubting that maybe the countless doctors I saw about it and the hematologists too were wrong, that it is a very slow growing cancer.

[Toaster]

Heh I was worried about CML. Seeing a Hematologist completely killed that fear for me. I have never met a smarter individual than my Hematologist, but I digress.

Surely your doctors and hematologists had a reason to say you didn't have Follicular Lymphoma. Another thing is that you would probably have more symptoms by now, if you had it for 10 years. Or abnormal blood tests. The Hematologist if you went to one would probably have palpated your spleen. Mine did.

Also I can feel tons of my lymph nodes. Always could.

[Thelegend27]

I am 25 years old and i have the same worry as you. My journey started 6 months ago when i discovered a small palpable lymph node on the left side of my neck, so i Googled and it scared me so i poked around looking for more lymph nodes and i have found a total of 4 lymph nodes, 2 on each side of my neck, they sit side by side just above the collarbone towards the back of my neck near the shoulder muscle, i set up a doc appointment she felt them said that they didn't feel large and she ordered a ultrasound and a complete blood count to be able to get a picture of the nodes and my overall health, well both tests came back fine the nodes on side of my neck were 1.1 cm or less and they had fatty helium present which is a good thing. The only way to know for sure you don't have cancer is a biopsy, however a ultrasound is a good tool because it can show the doctors if the lymph node looks suspicious because if the lymph node isnt too big and it appears normal on a ultrasound combined with a normal cbc its very unlikely to be cancer so they probably wont consider a biopsy, i tried pushing for a biopsy but its not going to happen unless the nodes start to grow. So at least get a ultrasound and cbc just so the doctors can see if anything looks abnormal, a palpable lymph node isnt always a swollen lymph node, sometimes lymph nodes can swell and then never return to their original unpalpable size they often call these shotty nodes. Since your nodes have been there for 10 years its very unlikely to be anything to worry about. I was told since i havent developed any other symptoms in 6 months that its unlikely for mine to be anything serious so you're 10 years in you should feel pretty confident. I never searched nodes before so i dont know exactly how long mine have been palpable i just only discovered them 6 months ago but they could've been palpable for years or all my life and just never knew it. My son has the same palpable nodes as i do hes almost 2 so it may just be normal for us.

[scared88]

I did have a few ultrasounds of my nodes and my spleen few years ago, 2012 was the last time and nothing abnormal was found then. I had slightly elevated LDH in one blood test but that was deemed irrelevant since it was just by few points.

[Toaster]

Cancerous lymph nodes look different on ultrasound than healthy ones. I see no reason to worry.

[scared88]

Cancerous lymph nodes look different on ultrasound than healthy ones. I see no reason to worry.

Yeah, apparently they looked normal way back then, oval and I believe with fatty hilars, but I can't help but wonder if they changed during the time since. Malignant nodes don't seem normal one day and change the next. I'm wondering cause I feel like they're always either growing or getting smaller.

[Fishmanpa]

So you said you quelled the worry by using logic in that if it were sinister, you'd be very ill or gone by now. That's a fact. Your anxiety is lying to you. You saw an article, started poking and prodding and here you are. Go back to thinking logically ;) Have you started therapy yet? You were on a waiting list as of January. What's the status?

Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.


Positive thoughts

[scared88]

So you said you quelled the worry by using logic in that if it were sinister, you'd be very ill or gone by now. That's a fact. Your anxiety is lying to you. You saw an article, started poking and prodding and here you are. Go back to thinking logically ;) Have you started therapy yet? You were on a waiting list as of January. What's the status?

Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.


Positive thoughts

That was last year, I started therapy again in February 2016 and went for two months until I was OK and stayed OK until pretty much now.